Draft:Maria I. Maldonado Garcia

Maria I. Maldonado Garcia

Maria I. Maldonado Garcia is a Spanish origin linguist and researcher and writer, based in Lahore, Pakistan. She is the author of many cutting-edge articles in the field of linguistic science. She has been the recipient of various awards related to her research contributions and linguistic discoveries in the fields of Urdu and English linguistics and for her teaching abilities and community related word. At the present time she is based in Lahore, Pakistan and collaborates in multiple research projects internationally. Her research is taught in universities in Europe and South America.

Early life and Education

Born in Madrid Spain in 1971, her parents moved to Tangiers, Morocco when she was just one year old. She remained there for three years with her grandparents. Her grandfather Antonio Maldonado Sanchez, was a translator for the Spanish Consulate in Tangiers and managed various administrative matters of the consulate as well. In 1975 the family moved back to Spain where Dr. Maria was raised (1)

In 1996 she received her Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA and in 2006 she received her first Masters Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language from Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia, Madrid, after ten years of practicing in USA as a freelance translator.

In 2010 she enrolled in her second Master Degree in Language Science and Hispanic Linguistics. This time it was a Master leading to PhD which was completed by 2012 from the same university. Her double major PhD in Spanish Language and General Linguistics was completed by 2014 from UNED, Madrid. The thesis received a CUM LAUDE distinction. (2)

Career

After her first degree, Dr. Garcia who was residing in USA at the time, joined a company where she had to manage international clients as an International Export Administrator. For this purpose, she was entrusted with the translation to Spanish of many product catalogues and international renowned accounts.(1) It is here where her language career started. After leaving the company, Dr. Garcia decided to start her own freelance translation career that lasted approximately ten years in USA.

In 2004, the family moved to Lahore, Pakistan due to the illness of her husband’s father.  Dr. Garcia then joined Kinnaird College for Women where she taught language until 2009.  In January of this year she had also joined University of the Punjab as a contract teacher. She became Assistant Professor in 2010. By that time she was already the Director of External Linkages.  Dr. Garcia participated in many international projects with the Government of Pakistan which required her linguistic expertise for the purpose of awarding scholarships to study in China and Turkey to Pakistani students, and also participated in Chief Minister and Presidential Memoranda of Understanding between Pakistan and other countries. In 2015 she founded the Confucius Institute at University of the Punjab and became its first Director.  In 2017 Dr. Maria became an Associate Professor of Linguistics at University of Management and Technology. In 2019 she became the Director Internationalization of the University and in 2020 she joined the University of Lahore as a full Professor and Head of the English Language and Literature department. She rejoined University of the Punjab in 2022 as the Incharge of the Institute of Languages and Linguistics.(3)

Awards and Honors (2)

2013- CUM LAUDE DISTINCTION for best PhD thesis.

2015- MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF PAKISTAN GOLD MEDAL AWARD, For discoveries in the area of Urdu Linguistics-Oct. 9, 2015

2015 -QUAID-E-AZAM GOLD MEDAL AWARD, Tehreek-e-Istiqham Organization, Lahore, For discoveries in the area of Linguistics, Apr. 12, 2015

2021- FATIMA JINNAH NATIONAL PRIDE AWARD, For intellectual contribution to Pakistan in the field of Linguistic Science. Aug. 13, 2021

2021- FAROGH-E-TALEEM GOVERNOR’S GOLD MEDAL, Governor of Punjab, Lahore. For academic and community contributions in the field of linguistics. Sept. 20, 2021

2024- QS ranks University of the Punjab 1^st in the country in the area of Linguistics and 2^nd in the area of Modern Languages.

Research and Discoveries

Dr. Garcia has valuable discoveries in the area of Urdu linguistics. During her first PhD thesis she unearthed the linguistic make up of Urdu language where she found that it derives from Sanskrit (against what Pakistani schools teach students) and received influence from Arabic, Persian and English.  Later on she published multiple research articles on this topic.

During her second PhD thesis in English linguistics, she documented the linguistic features of the Pakistani variety of English language and its level of standardization which no researcher had done till the present time.

Further, she has researched various topics in gender linguistics and is a well published author and researcher.

It is because of her work that QS ranked University of the Punjab, the first in the country in the area of Linguistics and the second in the country in the area of Modern Languages.

Interviews   

1) Book of 101 CEOS-Incredible Women of Pakistan-April 2024

2) News One Channel- Weekend with Hina program-August 20, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVxHSMk1mXk

3) Godmayes TV, UK-Aj Aapke Naam-July 26, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXoF7Lr5JGo

4) 101 CEOS Incredible Women of Pakistan- July 21, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g63tCuC-_f0

5) Daily Mashriq Newspaper-Sunday Edition- August 7, 2021

https://hispanistaenlahore.blogspot.com/2021/08/session-with-qalam-dost.html

6) The News On Sunday-Pakistan has a complex linguistic demography-Oct. 12-2015

https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/559574-pakistan-complex-linguistic-demography

Selected Bibliography

41. Maldonado García, M.I. (2023)   Learners’ Profiles for Language Teaching: A Corpus Study of Pakistani Students Errors in Spanish Language. Corporum: Journal of Corpus Linguistics 6(II), 53-80.

40.   Maldonado García, M.I., Haider, M. (2023) The Role of Diacritics in Reading Urdu; Can children read “without the dots”? Linguistic Forum 5 (2), 22-31.

39.   Rasheed, S., Maldonado García, M. I (2023) A Corpus Based Study of Anglicism: Neologism in Urdu Through Phono-Semantic Matching. Journal of Policy Research 9 (1), 64 -71.

38.  Chohan N. & Maldonado García, M.I. (2022) Phonemic Comparison of Mahji and Shahpuri Dialects of Punjabi. Jahan Tahqeeq. 5 (1), 159-168.

37.  Farooq, B., Maldonado García, M.I, Khan, M. H., Sharif, H. (2021) Strategic and Symbolic Advertising of Coca Cola in Pakistan: A Perspective of the Cultivation Theory.  Media Education-Mediaobrazovanie, 7 (2):238-245.

36.  Azeem, U., Maldonado García, M.I. (2020). Lexical Load of Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board's English 1 and English 2. Bulletin of Education and Research, 42 (2); 15-32.

35.  Rasheed, S., Maldonado García, M. I. 92020). Politics of Hijab in British Media Journal of Gender and Social Issues 19 (2); 69-88.

34. Iqbal, A., Maldonado García, M. I. (2020). Gendered Narratives and Linguistic Force- Dynamics: Influencing Career Paths of Women.Journal of Independent Studies and Research-Management, Social Sciences and Economics 18 (2).

33.  Shaheen, U., Maldonado García, M. I. (2020). Victimization And Asymmetric Gendered Power Relations: A Linguistic Investigation of Harassment Complaints Registered In Lahore. Pakistan Journal of Women Studies, 27(1); 19-47.

32.  Chuhan, N., Maldonado García, M. I. (2019). Phonemic Comparison of English and Punjabi. International Journal of English Linguistics, 9 (4); 1-11. ISI: 3.52.

31.  Saddiqa, A., Maldonado García, M. I., Shah, N.A. (2019). Proliferation of Multicultures through Globalization: Is it promoting the indigenous culture or global culture? International Journal of English Linguistics, 9 (2); 75-88.

30.  Abdul Khaliq, F., Maldonado García, M. I. (2019). A Deictic Analysis of Pakistan National Identity Representation in the Indigenous English Newspapers. International Journal of English Linguistics, 9(2); 307-320.

29.  Kanwal, S., Maldonado García, M. I. (2019). Representation of Gender through Framing: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Hillary Clinton’s Selected Speeches. International Journal of English Linguistics 9(2); 321-331.

28.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2018). Emphasis on Acquisition of Knowledge in the Teachings of Sultan Bahoo. Muslim Institute Journal, II (2); 62-89.

27.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2018). Improving University Students’ Writing Skills in Pakistan. The European Educational Researcher, 1 (1); 1-16.

26.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2018). Politics of Immigration and Language: The Case of Pakistani Residents in Spain. International Journal of English Linguistics, 8 (3); 36-46.

25.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2018). A Corpus Based Quantitative Survey of The Etymological Elements In The Basic Vocabulary of Urdu Language.  Almas 20; 11-24.

24.  Maldonado García, M.I. (2016). Siraiki; Language or Dialect? Eurasian Journal of Humanities, 1(2); 40-53.

23.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2016). Debate on Urdu as the Official Language of Pakistan: English versus Urdu. Almas, 18, 25-38.

22.  Maldonado García, M.I. (2016). Eugenio Coseriu y su Contribución a la Lingüística. Eurasian Journal of Humanities, 1(1); 1-16.

21.  Maldonado García, M.I. (2016). A Corpus Based Quantitative Survey Of The Sanskrit And Prakrit Elements in the Basic Vocabulary of Urdu Language. Pakistan Annual Research Journal. 51, 1-17.

20. Maldonado García, M. I. & Gavryshik, E. (2016).  False Friends in Urdu and Russian. Numl Journal of Critical Inquiry, 14 (1); 48-68.

19.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2016). The Metalinguistic Dilemma of Freedom of Expression; Its Limits. Journal of Political Studies, 23 (1); 309-323.

18.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2016). Origins of Pashto Language; Phases of Its Literary Evolution. Journal of Research, 52, 145-167.

17.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2016). The Contribution of Spanish Women Poets to the Literature of the 20th Century. Almas 17.

16.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2015). Reforming the National Curriculum.  Teaching the National and Provincial Languages of Pakistan. Journal of Elementary Education. 25(2); 73-87.

15.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2015). A Corpus Based Quantitative Survey of the Persian and Arabic Elements in the Basic Vocabulary of Urdu Language. Pakistan Vision                (16)1; 63-94.

14.  Maldonado García, M. I. & Hussain Sandhu, A. (2015). Language and Dialect: Criteria and Historical Evidence. Biannual Research Journal Grassroots, 49, 203-218.

13.  Maldonado García, M. I. (2015). Spanish “Politically Correct” Movement: Reasons for Failure. Journal of Political Studies, 22(1); 237-252.

12.  Hussain Sandhu, A. & Maldonado García, M. I. (2015).  Communalism In The British Punjab During 1937 To 1939: Focus on Religion and Language. Al Hikmat Journal of Philosophy, 5, 1-22.

11. Maldonado García, M.I. (2015). A Corpus Based Quantitative Survey of The English Elements In The Basic Vocabulary of Urdu Language. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 5(4), 29-36.

10.  Maldonado García, M. I. & Hussain Sandhu, A. (2015). The Text of the Memorandum ‘Sikhs and the New Constitution for India’ (1930). Political Importance and Linguistic Sentiment Analysis. Journal of South Asian Studies 30 (1); 288-310.

9.      Maldonado García, M. I. (2014). The Spanish Women Poet's Contribution to the Literature of the 20th Century. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies, 10, 93-107.

8.      Maldonado García, M. I. (2014). Foreign Language Learning Orientations. The Case of Pakistan. Pakistan Annual Research Journal, 50, 1-14.

7.      Maldonado García, M.I. (2014). The Urdu Language Reforms Almas 15, 14-24.

6.      Maldonado García, M. I. & Borges, A. (2014). Lexical Similarity Level between English and Portuguese Languages           . Estudios de Lingüística Inglesa Aplicada, 14,  145-164. International Journal 31 credits Latindex

5.      Maldonado García, M. I. & Yapici, M. (2014). Common Vocabulary in Urdu and Turkish Languages. A Case of Historical Onomasiology. Journal of Pakistan Vision, 15(1), 193-221.        

4.      Maldonado García, M. I. (2014). Frequency Counts In South Asian Poetry: Sultan Bahu’s Concept of Mystical Love. Journal of South Asian Studies, 29(1); 333-344.

3.      Maldonado García, M. I. & Borges, A. (2013). Etymological and String Analysis of Portuguese-Urdu Shared Vocabulary. NUML Journal of Critical Inquiry. 11(2); 69-85.

2.      Maldonado García, M. I. (2013). Estudio Etimológico De Cuatro Pares de Cognados en Español y Urdu. Revista Iberoamericana de Lingüistica. 8, 61-74. 

1.      Maldonado García, M. I. (2011). Multilingual Matters. Language Magazine. The Journal of Communication and Education. 10 (10); California.

References

(1)    News One Channel- Weekend with Hina program-August 20, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVxHSMk1mXk

(2)    University of the Punjab https://pu.edu.pk/faculty/detail/maria-isabel-maldonado-garcia4

(3)  Institute of Languages and Linguistics, University of the Punjab, Lahore https://pu.edu.pk/home/department/76/Institute-of-Languages---Linguistics

(4)  Zeeshan Zia Raja (2024) I’m Every Woman. 101 CEOS, Incredible Women of Pakistan. Lahore: 101 CEOS Press. Category:Linguistics Category:Genderlinguistcs Category:Linguists of Pakistan